Recap and Photos: SW PA Local Food Shed Inaugural Event

The Appalachian Regional Commission recently awarded Republic Food Enterprise Center through its parent organization, Fayette County Community Action Agency a $1.75 million grant. The grant supports local production ventures in four agriculture industry clusters – sheep/lamb/goat, poultry, produce and value added products. These projects will increase opportunities for income and job creation in communities facing coal industry fluctuations and decline. Bob Junk, Marketing Director for Republic Food Enterprise Center, stated, “We’ve been looking for ways to make the economy stronger and the farming community stronger in Western PA.”

A number of local and state officials attended the event and spoke to the crowd. PA Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding addressed the group, “The easiest day in agriculture is the day you plant something. Everything from that day on is work, so today we plant.” He talked about the importance of the years of work developing Republic Food Enterprise Center and the support from Fayette County Community Action Agency.

Republic Food Enterprise Center hosted a Farmers Market and gave tours of their state-of-the-art kitchen, cold storage and training facilities. They also provided tours of their new retail store that opened this month. Farmers Market vendors included: